Reboot
by Linnaeus
Summary: When Shinra's computer system is hacked from one of the most secure offices in its headquarters, investigation was immediate. Meanwhile, a blond lab assistant makes waves and the Wutai War escalates. Warnings: Time traveling hero and sporadic updates.
1. Chapter 1

_And then the meteor, screeching and burning, tore through the fragile atmosphere and descended onto Midgar. Within seconds, any living thing on the plate was scorched by the flame. Then, the metal that made up the city began to twist and give way, even as the meteor was halted by a bright white light. _

_When they finally arrived on the Highwind, Midgar was already either evacuated or incinerated. The top of a Loveless sign was torn off and the rest was slanted precariously, leaving only the accusing stare of a woman…_

_Down_

_Down at the crust of ash_

**I. Recurrent**

Sephiroth woke up this morning with an incredible migraine and the dying vestiges of a fleeting, forgotten dream. Rubbing sleep from his eyes with one hand as he tugged on his sweat soaked undershirt with the other, he paddled barefoot into the master bath. He had been dreaming more often of late, and the frequency for waking up with a headache increased. He sleepily contemplated checking in with the Science department, but dismissed the thought almost as soon as it formed. The shock of cold marble underneath his feet was a better wakeup call than even his internal clock, which made any alarm clocks obsolete. The man peeled off his shirt then squeezed company branded toothpaste ("Shinra White: The bright start to your day. TM") onto his company toothbrush (Shinra Oral Care: With deep clean bristles! TM") and stuck the entire assembly between his lips before shedding the rest of his clothing and stepping under a rapidly warming spray of water. Shuffling beneath the high velocity jets streaming from a stainless steel industrial shower head, Sephiroth untied his hair, held back in a sleep-loosened tail, and thought self depreciatingly that his morning routines would probably only make him seem _almost_ human.

Ten minutes later, at precisely oh-five-hundred hours, security cameras could record General Sephiroth locking his company regulated apartment door behind him as he strides to the elevator, immaculate as always in his customary black leather uniform.

At oh-six-hundred hours, the General could be seen on the level 49 VR room with Commanders Rhapsodos and Hewley as well as Third Class Soldier Zachary Fair. As always, Commander Rhapsodos's face was buried behind a paperback. Hewley looked as alert as always, back straight and arms crossed over the broad expense of his chest. His head was bent forward, chastising his protégé, who was still yawning and rubbing sleep out of his eyes. Commander Rhapsodos chimed in once in a while, but his expression could not be deciphered as it was blocked by the word "LOVELESS" from the angle of the security camera. Fair started doing strange squats five minutes later, and the glass of the VR room was frosted as another simulation started.

Sephiroth's newest secretary could be seen yawning as she walked into work at oh-seven-hundred hours. Her shirt was undone by three buttons today, in contrast to the previous two the last two weeks, and the one her first three weeks on the job. If previous women who filled the role where an indication, she is one button away from being transferred to Legal. She straightened a little when the General walked passed. When he stopped to ask for messages, she bent forward. The General retrieved his paperwork with no comment and his office door slammed shut until twelve-hundred hours.

At twelve-hundred hours, the door to the office banged opened to Commanders Genesis and Hewley with the "Puppy" in tow, carrying a few plastic bags marked Moogle Express, a popular Wutaiian take-out dive near the headquarters. Despite war with Wutai, the bastardized version of its cuisine remains popular in Midgar.

Fourteen-hundred hours. The General leaves his office for a meeting with Director Lazard and returns an hour later. He leaves his office soon after with Masamune headed for the Level 49 VR.

Sixteen-hundred hours. The secretary stuffs her compact into a hot pink leather purse and gathers together the rest of her belongs, locks her drawers and leaves. The General could be seen in his office with the last of the paperwork. He would leave almost an hour later, turning off his computer terminal and then office lights before locking the office door behind him. As the light atop the sliding door turns red, he disappears from the camera's screen.

Seventeen-hundred hours. White noise.

Twenty-hundred hours, the leader of the Department of Administrative Affairs, colloquially known as the Turks, is seen knocking on the door of General Sephiroth by the hallway security camera. The door slides open to reveal an off-duty general, still in his leather ensemble.

Forgoing pleasantries or pardon for interrupting the General, Veld holds out a report to Sephiroth. "There has been a cyber-security breach originating from your office, Sephiroth."

Two hours later, Sephiroth stared incredulously down at the report as he sat in his high backed black leather chair, cradling a hand to his forehead, where the headache which had gradually subsided during the day came back in full force. Only a few feet away, two Turks were in the process of taking his computer apart. His company issued PHS was also confiscated and he reminded himself to retrieve the contact number of Angeal and Moogle Express. Genesis and Zack were optional.

"General, I will need a list of all the people who may have accessed this terminal," Veld spoke from where he stood watching his men work, while scanning the results from the IT department, "And a written report of an suspicious activity you may have seen. We fear this may be an internal job."

Sephiroth straightened, disguising the pressure building behind his eyes as he replied, "Besides myself, the only ones who are ever unattended in my office are the secretary and the janitor."

"Yes," Veld sighed, "We have detained your secretary along with all past ones for questioning. The janitor has also been questioned. Detailed back ground checks show distant Wutai ancestry but too many generations back to be conclusive. We do not believe there are any ties to the insurgency, be he has been terminated."

Sephiroth glanced up at Veld.

"I assure you. The man was given a generous severance package and relocation expenses are paid in full." Veld smirked grimly, twisting and stretching the scar on his cheek. "One of your secretaries was discovered also to have ties with the eco-terrorist group AVALANCHE. However, she died from a hidden cyanide capsule before we could extract any information from her."

With a sigh, Sephiroth set the report on his ebony office desk, giving up on pretending to read it. He could hardly understand the technological jargon that dotted the page. Instead, he focused his full attention on the Head of the Department of Administrative Affairs.

"I do believe, Veld, that that may point toward the guilty party." He toyed with Masamune on his lap as he spoke, thinking dark thoughts of the ones responsible for his current migraine and the flood of paperwork he anticipated seeing on his desk in the morning.

"Perhaps." Veld conceded, "However, we cannot currently act. We are in the midst of investigating some more … troubling ties between the terrorist group and Shinra. Unfortunately, we must sacrifice some small fish for the big catch, so to speak."

Sephiroth dipped his head in agreement.

"If that is everything, Veld," He gracefully stood up from his chair, "I will not keep you from your investigation. If you require anything else, you may find me in my quarters." He paused at the door.

"I also expect a new phone on my desk tomorrow morning."

"Of course."

The clock on Sephiroth's desk reset to zero.

* * *

So, life happened. But I'm back. I have deleted my previous story (Devil's Snare) because this is a rewrite and that just would have had a few too many spoilers for some of my plans. This story is currently not beta'd. If you wish to take on the role, please just ask. I need someone to prod me into writing again. Expect relatively slow updates, especially when the semester starts again.

Also, the obligatory disclaimer that will apply to this entire story: FFVII is the property of Square Enix.


	2. Chapter 2

_They held the Randall short barrel, which everyone nicknamed Ol' Randy, above their heads as they trudged through the swampy bog that was Southern Wutai in the wet season. The arduous crossing made them sitting ducks and jammed up their company issues something awful so that the rifles would not fire when they actually saw the enemy. Not crossing was not an option. Not crossing was a court-martial for deserting and meant being picked off by bullets from the trees anyway. _

_Either way, they failed. _

_They held themselves with a calm dignity, but told themselves they would die. As they trudged into the slime and mud, their already heavy bags are weighed down by water and by clay. Their feet sink deeper into the river bed and the mud trapped them. Flanking the main troops, some men laid down cover fire, aiming their weapons blindly into the bush. When they reached the other side some men cried. They cried out in relief at still being alive. They cried out at the burden of still being alive as their comrades lay sleeping at the bottom of the bog._

**II. Reacquaint**

Zachary Fair, better known as Zack to all his friends, whistled light heartedly as he marched toward the Materia Development Room. One hand held his phone, where he was attempting to text (unsuccessfully) to his long time friend Kunsel, while the other hand swinging loosely at his side grasped a thin manila folder with a small stack of forms. Kunsel, naturally, had all the good Shinra scuttlebutt that Zack needed to catch up on after a week-long retreat to the Midgar wastelands on a monster hunting spree (so-called mission) with Angeal who came back from the Wutai subcontinent looking incredibly worn out. Normally, Zack had an extreme allergic reaction to any form of company paperwork. However, since these forms were the paperwork that allowed him access to materia, he was not gonna complain at all, no sir!

The door to the Materia Room slid open with a compliant hiss and Zack blinked at the interesting sight. The many times he had stepped foot in this room with Angeal, this stereotypical Shinra science squint greeted him with round coke-bottom glasses that had these nerdy side shields to them to double as safety glasses, mousy brown hair that was constantly disheveled, and heavy frown lines at the corners of his mouth and on his brow from too many hours staring at a microscope. Zack didn't even know why the guy put so much time on the microscope - he studied rocks for goodness sakes!

Instead, a young blond kid who looked like he was barely of legal working age sat behind the desk, a thick textbook open in front of him as he silently mouthed words to himself, an orange highlighter in one hand, and the other pulling at his spiky blond locks. Zack hoped he was imagining it, but he could have sworn that the kid's toes barely touched the ground as he swung his feet back and forth idly and flipped the page. The harsh light of the reading lamp glared off the glasses on the boy's face.

"Ahem…" Zack coughed quietly when he realized that the boy was not going to acknowledge him anytime soon. "Aheeeeem….Aheeeeeeemeem…."

When Zack though he was going to finally fake cough a lung out, he was greeted with owlish blue eyes, framed by the thick rimmed glasses, wide with surprise on a boyish face. They stared at each other – Zack in amusement and the boy in confusion. The glasses only served to make the boy, whose lanky frame was almost swimming in his one-size-fits-all lab coat, look very awkward and gangly indeed.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I was just so absorbed in my book…can I get you anything mister..."

"Ah, I'm Zack." He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, "Sorry to, like, totally startle you. Is your dad around?"

Zack was treated to an incredulous stare. The blond opened his mouth a few times but no words came out the first three tries.

"Oh, ummm…sorry, who?" Open mouth, insert foot. Goddammit, Zack! Way to go!

"Um, the doctor that usually works here." Zack backpedaled clumsily.

"Oh! Doctor Zalinka! He's sick today." At this the blond stood up and walked around the desk, stopping short in front the Third Class Soldier and extended a hand. Zack quickly realized that the bo- young man - had a name tag pinned to the right lab coat pocket displaying a slightly bleached out mug shot of mostly blond hair and the name STRIFE across the bottom of the picture. A tag that was given to all Shinra employees and doubled as a keycard and meal swipe. Oh. Oops.

"Um…"

Zack quickly grasped the offered and previously neglected hand, shaking it vigorously.

"Sorry! I'm Zack Fair, Third Class Soldier Extraordinaire!" He introduced himself with a grin, "Sorry about earlier. I was just kinda expecting the other guy so I guess I was being real rude to you, huh?"

The lab tech smiled wanly back at him. "It's alright, Mr. Fair, Sir. I'm actually kinda used to that. My name is Cloud. I am Dr. Zalinka's assistant. Since he is sick today, I'm supposed ta be in charge of the materia requests."

Cloud has a faint backwater drawl that Zack could relate to, but feeling like he had antagonized the kid enough for one day, he refrained from commenting. Angeal must have really hammered tact in better than Zack thought possible.

"Hey! Call me Zack, man. Ah, yeah. I have the paperwork here," Zack said, offering up his folder, "Requisition Form A-34 for Class E Materia. And…oh, here." He dug out his employee identification badge, which mirror's Cloud's except that it read SOLDIER THIRD CLASS instead of SCIENCE DEPT: STUDENT next to the name and picture.

Cloud glanced through the paperwork and then shuffled back to the desk, tapping a few keys on his computer. At some prompt on the screen, he swiped Zack's ID through the card reader.

"Everything seems to be in order Mr.F- I mean, Zack." Cloud returned the badge to Zack. "Which materia would'ya like? Um…Class E allows you the basic damage materia, unmastered. That includes….Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, and Quake."

"Aw, damn! I wanted awesome ones, like Comet or something!"

That finally got a chuckle out of the blond.

"Sorry, that's what you're allowed. Maybe the higher-ups are afraid you will blow something sky high?"

Zack opened his mouth to protest, but then closed it when he realized that explosions are actually kind of a plausible fear around him.

"Fine…I'll take Fire! Then I can blow shit up anyway!" Zack and Cloud shared a chuckle.

"Well, the form says you're allowed two. So…which other one?"

Zack hesitated. "Um….I actually didn't think that far, haha…. I kind of just ran here after I got the form, 'cause, I was way excited!"

"Oh," Cloud frowned little, wrinkling his brown and straight nose while tilting his head in a way that reminded Zack strongly of a baby chocobo. Those one that just hatched, looked really confused, and are a bit bald. Okay, maybe not that last one. "Maybe Quake?" He quickly held his hands up in a defensive gesture, as if he could physically defend against whatever reprisal Zack may have. "I don't really know much about how Soldiers would use it, but I think I would be useful…"

"How so?" Zack was honestly curious about Cloud's suggestion.

"Um, unlike the other ones, Quake is kind of like…area of effect. It will hit everything in a small radius, so even at a low levels and without All materia attached, it can hit multiple enemies. Unless you are using it against flying monsters, or in a really urban area – please don't do that in the building- it could be really useful. Not that I know or anything…."

Cloud's speech petered out and he looked down with an embarrassed blush.

"Whoa, hey! You know a lot!" Zack whistled appreciatively. "Yeah, I'll take that one then."

Cloud nodded. "_Ja_, give me a second." He walked across the room around the three strange machines that all had signs taped to them that had Dr. Zalinka's handwriting scrawled across ("Experimental! Do Not Touch! That means you!") and swiped his card through another reader. The wall swung open to a series of drawers and Cloud withdrew two round green crystals barely bigger than glass marbles. "You have slots, right?" He asked as he filled out another form on the computer, registering Zack as withdrawing the materia.

"Yep!" Zack raised an arm that had a titan bangle. Cloud handed the spheres over.

"Don't lose them!" Zack laughed.

"Thank you, my kind sir!" He slotted them lovingly into his new bracer. "Sorry, I'd love to stay and chat more, but I kinda have to run. Angeal can be a real mean taskmaster if I'm late."

Cloud nodded and returned to his seat and his large volume.

"Um…before I go, I'm dying to ask you one question."

Cloud looked at him expectantly.

"Are you from the countryside?" A nod. "Where?"

"Nibelheim." Zack laughed. Cloud frowned a little though it looked more like a childish pout.

"You?"

"Me? Gongaga!" Cloud laughed as well.

"Hey!" Zack put his hands on his hips as if in disapproval, though it seems Cloud realized he was only joking. "Are you laughing? You are, aren't you? Do you even know Gongaga?"

"No…but it sounds very country-like."

"Hmph. Well, Nibelheim too. I've never been there, but there's a make reactor right? Midgar has the most mako-"

"But everyone else has none." Cloud chorused with him. They both shared a laugh again.

"I'll see you a round, Cloudy!" Zack yelled back as he headed into the hallway. The door slide shut on Cloud hotly answering "Don't call me that!"

Zack, in an even better mood than when the morning first started, turned the corner and almost smacked right into a wall.

"Whoa! Good morning Angeal!"

Angeal Hewley, also known as the Wall, raised an unimpressed dark brow at his protégé, also known as the Puppy.

"You are late."

Zack made a face that approximated a pleading pup and held up his left arm to show two materia slotted into his bracer. "I got materia, Angeal!"

Angeal sighed a weary sigh that he had perfected around Genesis and was using more frequently now that he had taken Zack on as an apprentice of sorts. "I dreaded the day you would get materia, and now it's here too soon. Well, what did you get?"

"Um, Fire and Quake."

"Wonderful. One to knock the building down and the other to set it on fire. I must have a chat with Dr. Zalinka for daring to let you to walk out of his lab with potential for explosions and wonton destruction of public property. What was he thinking?" Angeal asked with amused sarcasm.

"Nah, his assistant took over today. Really nice kid."

Angeal snorted softly at Zack. "Must have been very nice to let you walk away with those two. Or just doesn't know you at all."

"Hey!" Zack protested.

"Don't 'hey' me, puppy. Go run through the Midgar plains simulation before Sephiroth and Genesis get here." Zack puffed up his cheeks impetuously, but grumpily stamped into the VR room.

Ten minutes later, six o'clock on the dot, Sephiroth glided into the observation area of the VR room with Genesis beside him. Sephiroth gave Angeal a nod good morning while Genesis airily remarked, "-ut really, Sephiroth, I hardly think your cyber terrorist is necessarily targeting you. Most feared General of the Shinra Army? Perish the thought. They would probably quiver in their pajamas when they realize who they hacked."

Angeal frowned. "What's the matter?"

"Oh, good morning Angeal." Genesis twisted to lean a shoulder against the glass wall that was currently showing Zack fighting against a wild chocobo of all things, "Sephiroth was just informing me of a security breach. Someone snuck into his office after hours and hacked into his computer. Whoever this idiot is, the hacker somehow managed to cover his tracks well enough that the Turks _still_ haven't figured out was what was accessed."

Angeal crossed his arms over his chest.

"Not so well that they didn't notice," Angeal commented. Turning to Sephiroth, he asked, "No leads?"

Sephiroth shook his head.

"Nothing concrete. I will find out when there is. Also, I currently have no mobile device. If you need to contact me, you will have to call my office phone." He then stopped and considered. "I believe I also have no secretary at the moment."

Genesis laughed derisively. "Well, they are hardly useful people, are they? Yet Lazard keeps on assigning you one. Each worse than the last. It's as if he's _trying_ to tell you to get laid." Sephiroth ignored Genesis with a light furrowing of his brow.

"Veld has updated me with the current situation this morning. They still have updates as to why it was my computer in particular that was hacked."

"Well, that should be obvious, shouldn't it?" Genesis interjected, "As general, you would have the most top secret files and the highest clearance."

"While that's true," Angeal disagreed absently, as he observed Zack who was wrapping up the last monsters, "Sephiroth would only have limited access to anything in the science or even the weapons development departments. Any strategic information on the situation in Wutai is also mostly outdated when the insurgents turned to guerilla tactics and we moved most of the immediate decision making to the field."

"Unfortunately, my computer is connected directly to the Shinra central servers." Sephiroth added. "It provides access to many other departments, even if my clearance is perhaps limited. My office is also located below the sixtieth floor lock down area."

Shinra's most three most powerful Soldiers stewed in an uneasy silence when the Zack ran out from the training room.

"Angeal, did you see that cool combo I did? Huh? Huh? I did good, right? Right?"

"It is 'I did well', Zack. And we need to work on your foot work. Very sloppy."

* * *

Elena along with the other forty-some-odd cadets, a handful of third class Soldiers in for make-up classes, and a few Academy students stood in rows facing a wall of targets in the thirty second floor facility. To her left side sat a blond lab tech in a white lab coat that was essentially hanging off his thin shoulders, silent and staring blankly out the window. Thankfully, he hadn't breathed a word to her and had essentially ignored her for the past twenty minutes. To her right was an open aisle, as both chose to sit in the empty corner seats. Aside from the students and a few guards to keep an eye on the materia storage, the floor was empty. For safety, any class scheduled was given wide berth for fear of accidents that might occur from improper materia use. They really should be given wide berth, too. Most cadets can't aim to save their own hides. Though for such a beginner class, it was hardly an issue. One would be lucky if they had the material glowing.

Their instructor gave a lecture on different types of materia. He demonstrated by casting a well-aimed fire spell at one of the targets, marking the bull's-eye with a black scorch mark.

Then, unmastered fire materia were passed along to them from a storage crate. Instead of asking them to aim, which the instructor admitted was probably out of the range of first-timers, small piles of kindling were set in front of them.

"The most you'll get is probably a spark right now," the instructor had said, "But try to light a fire. This is the only lesson you get on materia use until you get promoted to third class or the equivalent and is an important survival skill, too."

It was meant to show how difficult using materia is, since new recruits should not know how yet. Elena, having some experience from both trips with his father and her rivalry with her older sister, was taking this class only to fulfill one of the many training requirements that would allow her to be a probationary Turk. Afterall, she can't have her older sister show her up forever.

Most of the class where trained cadets, each tall and muscular. Real meatheads, Elena thought with disgust. The ability to use materia had nothing to do with physical condition, she thought with pride. Rather, it was from experience, a strong will, and even a bit of genetics. She has all three, even though she did not have as much experience as she would like. After all, stealing her sister's Cure to practice on did not go unnoticed for very long when the sister in question was a damn good Turk. …And maybe she only got a few green sparks…not even enough to heal a paper cut….

Staring at the crystalline orb in her own hand, she frowned at it, determined to get a spark and set her own pile of kindling on fire first in the class.

"Come on…come on…come on! You stupid thing!" She growled to it.

Someone chuckled next to her and she saw that _his _pile was already smoking. The nasty retort on her tongue was swallowed when she stared into the face of maybe the kindest smiles she had ever seen, even though it was a small one.

"I'm sorry. You look kind of constipated like that." The blond answered her look.

"I do not!" The blond now looked a little concerned that he had offended Elena in some way. Well, he should have realized that before he opened his big stupid mouth, Elena thought uncharitably. The other boy just smiled indulgently.

"I'm Cloud," He introduced himself, "I study mako sciences. You are…?"

"Uh, oh. Elena. And don't think you are better than me just because you can cast a bit of magic, mister!" She growled, "My father was an army general and my sister is a Turk. Don't you even think about messing with me!" Cloud raised a brow, completely immune to her speech.

"I wouldn't dream of it, promise."

"Good," Elena sniffed.

"Heya, if you don't mind me asking though," Cloud said as he fanned his little pile of straw into flames absently, "What were you thinking when you were tryin' ta focus?"

"Huh? That's easy! I keep trying to tell this thing to set on fire-" Cloud laughed. Elena thought it was a surprisingly nice laugh. It was really clear, and drew the corners of his lips up, narrowing his eyes so only parts of the blue irises showed. The brilliant blue and long lashes weren't distorted at all by his lens but the thick frames detracted from the entire image. Elena got the feeling that her bench mate didn't _really_ laugh much at all because if he did and got rid of those hideous glasses, she was sure he would have lots of female attention instead of looking so awkward. Their little corner drew the attention of a few military grunts, who gave them glares and then turned back to their own materia. However, Elena still felt a little embarrassed and angry, even more so when she realized that she was actually checking this _nerd_ out just a little bit-a big social faux pas- so she hit Cloud none-too-gently on the arm.

"Hey! Stop laughing!"

"_Ja_," Cloud said wiping a tear of mirth away, "I just hope you weren't thinking at it how you talk to me. It won't like that much." This kid is weird, Elena decided, talking like a piece of stone is sentient and shit.

"Just… ask it nicely."

"Uh…" Elena pouted. She didn't want to listen to Cloud's coaching, but she also didn't want to fail at lighting it, like all the muscle brain cadets in the class. Besides…Cloud said he was in the science department. That had to mean he knows stuff like this, right? She turned to her own materia.

"Can you…please just light that stuff on fire?" She coaxed as she focused on the stone in her hand. To her surprise, the marble in her hand seemed to answer and she felt a faint surge as it warmed in her hand. A few more seconds of wheedling and her sad pile of kindling started smoking, too.

"It worked!" Her outburst drew some unhappy glances from the rest of the class, but she didn't care. "It worked!" She screamed again, and then grabbed her slender classmate in a tight hug that sent the two of them crashing and tipped over Cloud's heat safe plate that held a now burning fire.

"Hot! Hot!"

"Wah! Somebody get water!"

* * *

Thank you all for your encouraging feedback from the last chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

_Elena looked around. The classroom was empty except for Cloud, who was once again gazing out of the windows down into Midgar. The classroom was again split in two, but today the divide was more apparent. The same tables they had practiced on mere days ago were pushed against the wall and the entire expense of the concrete practice floor was left exposed. Looking at the previously ignored targets lining the opposite wall apprehensively, Elena realized what their third and last lesson was going to encompass. _

_She wedged herself through the gaps between the desks to reach Cloud who was seated on the window sill, one leg extended up onto it and the other hanging off, foot flat on the floor to keep his balance. The window was open wide and Elena thought the blond looked a bit like a bird, precariously perched on the sill like that. Just one push and it would all be over. _

_She took a precious moment to examine her – can she call him a friend? She had only known him two weeks and only saw him in class- she examined Cloud. His hair was overgrown and he had taken to messily tying the locks back into a small tail to keep it out of the way. One hand came up to play with an errant lock absently. The other elbow was resting on a raised knee. The open window let in gusts of wind that blew the blond hair back and forth and whistled in the room. Elena looked out the window as well when Cloud didn't acknowledge her calling his name softly, afraid to startle him off the sill._

_The sky looked the same as always to her. It was grey and sooty. A layer of smoke perpetually covered the city. Since Midgar's eight Sectors were split into the below plate slums and the above plate, only the Plate residents ever got to see the sky. Not that it made a difference. Midgar was eternally cloaked in a veil of smog that only worsened below plate. It never rains, or snows, or hails. That was a good thing too. Any rain would be acid rain. There was no wind either, to blow the smog away. It just settled like sewerage sludge down into the slums. _

"_Cloud," she called again. No response. _What a moody guy. First he laughs at me, now he ignores me. _She huffed._

"_It's going to rain." She looked out again._

"_It never rains," she contradicted impetuously. Cloud turned around to look at her. Elena was hit then by how young Cloud was. He was clean shaven, and Elena though he probably didn't even need to shave. He had high cheekbones and a pointed chin. No baby fat anywhere. And that tuft of feathery golden hair. But his eyes were so shaded now. Weary. They were still bluer than the sky that Elena had almost never known. Elena shivered. Elena almost opened her mouth again to ask something insensitive when the rest of the class trickled in. The moment was lost though. Cloud rose from the sill and closed the window, abruptly silencing the whispers of the wind._

"_So it doesn't." He replied._

_Elena does not see him for a long time after that class. In that time, it did not rain in Midgar. _

**III. ****Reacquaint** (2)  


"Let me get that, ma'am." A quiet voice with a bit of a faint accent said from behind the graying woman, who was slowly bending to retrieve her paper grocery bag where it had fallen after three teenagers shoved past her on their skateboards as they ran out of the train station. The dumbapples rolled out of the bag and across the street. She sighed to herself. They were all bruised now and the cart she had been pushing to get her groceries home was lying on its side, one wheel hanging loose from its axel.

Ruvie had been ambling her way home from the grocery store when she passed in front of the station. A train just pulled up to the platform, and she wasn't paying much attention to the passing crowd when she was mowed down by the hooligans. No one stopped to even look. She pushed back a strand of silver hair that had escaped the confines of her bun and straightened her back gingerly. She dusted off her navy blue and white daisy print dress and wiggled her toes back into her comfortable walking shoes. Then, she turned to see the train pullout of the station again, hissing and puffing then tooting out a loud whistle.

She could hear that train going about business every day from the comfort of her own kitchen. She never needed an alarm clock because the train tracks ran right past her house and she would be woke by the whistling and humbug of the seven o'clock rush. Her son had asked her to move several times now to live with him in the quarters set aside just for Shinra employees, to a better neighborhood.

"It's not a good neighborhood anymore, mom," he would plead, "You live so close to the station. All sorts of people take the train and it's the first stop coming up from the slums. It's not safe."

"Nonsense," she had replied, "Your father and I raised you in that house. Those Shinra houses are so close to city center, I can't even see the sun when it's finally out. How am I going to plant my flowers?"

Looked around at the groceries spilled across the sidewalk and her overturned cart, Ruvie wondered for the first time if her son might have been right.

A lightly calloused hand extended down and grabbed the few fruits that rolled away to the curb and deftly plopped them into the neglected paper bag before a boy stood up with the large bag in his arms. Peeking above the edge of the bag, Ruvie is greeted by large, bright blue eyes and spiky blond hair. Shaken faith restored, Ruvie gave the blond a grateful and warm smile.

"Well, that was very nice of you, hon. I wish boys these days were all like you instead of those rowdy ruffians…" She smiled as she reached out for the bag, only for the blond to hold it tighter.

"That's alright, ma'm. I can help you carry it." Ruvie smiled. The thought occurred that the boy might be a bandit, who would follow a helpless old woman home and rob her blind, but Ruvie had faith still in humanity and decided to take the chance.

"Well, if you don't mind." The blond shook his head. "Please follow me. My house is not far, but please excuse these old bones- I cannot walk as fast as I used to."

The boy shook his head. "I don't mind, ma'am."

"Oh! Please call me Ruvie, dear. Ruvie Tuesti. And you are…?"

"I'm Cloud Strife, ma'am."

"Cloud, is it?" What a cute name for a cute boy! Ruvie let out a little girly squeak that drew Cloud to blink up at her with an expression of puzzlement.

"Yes…ma'm?"

"Oh, it's nothing dear." Cloud tilted his head to one side, much like an inquisitive bird, and then glanced at the card lying sideways on the side of the street. Ruvie followed his gaze to look sadly on the little cart her son made for her two years ago when she began to suffer greatly from her arthritis and had trouble walking.

"Don't worry about that, dear. Will you come this way?"

The odd duo only made it a block when Ruvie was forced to sit and rest. "I am terribly sorry. I am in a bit of pain after that nasty fall earlier and my knees are not so young anymore." Cloud placed the groceries next to her on the bench, his brows furrowed in deep worry.

"Can I get you something for the knee?" Ruvie laughed and waved, gesturing to her knees.

"These old things? Oh no, no. It's a problem with getting old. I have some pain medication at home." Ruvie reached for the bag and realized that she could barely lift it. "My…I hadn't realized how heavy this is! I've always had my cart…." Clouds brows rose and then he faintly smiled. My, thought Ruvie, he will y grow up to be a looker despite an unfortunate bit of shyness. She giggled to herself.

"I don't have a problem with it." As if to prove it, he leaned down and picked up the grocery bag again easily despite its bulk. "You can lean on me if you want… so you can take your weight off your knee."

"Oh, you are so precious!" Ruvie reached out and pinched a cheek and then laughed at the red blush that the boy tried to high behind his fly away hair. She cheerfully recounted her son's crazy inventions when he was at Cloud's age as they slowly waddled their way to her house together.

The two stopped in front of a quaint two story house with a well cultivated little yard in the middle of a Shinra employee district. After jiggling the door open, Ruvie clear the kitchen table so Cloud could set down the groceries.

"Oh thank you so much, dear."

"No problem, ma'am. I'll best be going now." Cloud turned around to leave. Ruvie closed the door pointedly.

"Nonsense, dear. You helped me with the groceries. I need to pay you back somehow." Cloud shook his head.

"That's alright m-"

"If you are not going to take my gil, then at least stay for dinner." Ruvie said sternly, hands on her hips. When Cloud shook his head again, Ruvie grinned.

"You aren't going to make a poor old woman cook this all by herself will you? Please, call me Ruvie."

Ruvie was quite proud she manipulated the boy into helping once more. In exchange for a home cooked meal of course.

* * *

Reno only half listened to the board meeting as he leaned lazily against the door, ignoring the glares that Tseng was giving him and the silent reminders of "stand up straight, Reno!" Fuck that, yo. And fuck you, Tseng.

The Turks already have enough on their plate with this recent cyber-attack. They left the compromised computer in the hands of the geek squad and were tracking down leads in the slums. Veld had already briefed the President and the board on progress, which is disappointingly little for two weeks of work. So why in hell were they still standing here next to Veld when the topic changed to this stupid Wutai War briefing?

"It's one step forward, and two steps back," Lazard was saying with a frustrated sign, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Next to him, the screen showed pictures of several charred army vehicles and video footage of Soldiers being carried out on stretchers from a camp that had been hit by Wutai explosives. Reno whistled quietly. Whatever was in that explosive? Powerful stuff. Reno would love to get that bomb maker into his interrogation cell.

"Somehow, their scouts where able to find Soldier encampments and sneak in several improvised homemade explosives. It was completely unexpected and entirely different from Wutai's typical tactics."

That's true, Reno thought, that sounds more like something the Turks would do. Up until now, the war has been frontal confrontations with both sides suffering heavy losses in open battles.

"That does not sound like the honorable Wutai warriors that I have fought against," Angeal added with a frown, having been recently recalled from the battle front, "They are not known for subterfuge and prefer to die fighting to protect their honor. It is something to be respected and feared."

"Yes," Heidegger agreed behind the cigar in his lips, smacking them loudly as he took another drag, "Godo has changed tactics it seems. I think we have backed them into a corner and they are desperate. It is only a matter of time now. If I was in charge, I would have said attack now and quickly, when the enemy has exposed their desperation." Sephiroth shook his head from where he was seated. Everyone knew that Heidegger was gunning for Lazard's position. The head of the Military Police sought the Soldier directorship ever since Soldier was established.

"I disagree. Now that the Wutai army has vanished entirely into the bush, we have no idea where to strike. The last two encounters have both been traps," Lazard defended before continuing. He tapped some keys on his lap top to pull up an annotated map of the Wutai Archipelago, a chain of islands off the Wutai mainland. "The Wutaiians have also somehow taken over some of our older scuttled boats, and have been launching attacks on trade routes. It has cut off several supply lines. The water routes here are complex and we have no dedicated Navy to root them out of hiding."

"Has the aerial reconnaissance turned up anything concrete?" Sephiroth asked.

"No," Scarlet answered, "The natural caves and lava formations make it almost impossible to have reliable aerial intelligence. The volcano on top of Da Chao mountain has also been more active recently, and the rising ash is obscuring our cameras and making the air travel dangerous." Reno had some very uncharitable thoughts about the Head of Weapons Development; though that didn't stop him from looking down her dress whenever she leaned down a bit. What she was wearing to the board meeting was hardly professional, but no one is uttering a complaint in her earshot. Rumors were that she may be an illegitimate child or relative of the President. After all, no other woman had ever made it to an executive position, especially not as fast as she did. And very few people have that shock of blond hair. Other rumors say she was gracing the president's bed at night.

Either way, Reno decided, she was one hell of a mean bitch, but also the bitch that supplies Shinra with its helicopters and fancy gadgets. So Reno wasn't gonna complain. She has voiced several times that she wants to shut down the materia research funding in the mako science department and integrate the important parts into the weapons department as "weaponized mako technology". The science division thankfully vetoed the idea vehemently enough that the President finally stopped considering it. A power hungry bitch. It always seems to go hand in hand.

"The cliffs around the main continent make it impossible to flank the Wutaiian forces, and is causing us to bottleneck through only the southern beach front when landing our troops. Right now, even our hold on that is quite tenuous."

"This is all old intelligence," Veld finally grimaced, pushing the Wutai reports in front of him to one side and resting his elbows on the desk in front of him fingers cross, "Which leads me to ask why the Turks have been included in this meeting. For the past two years, we have been more focused on anti-Shinra movements around Midgar."

"Because," Lazard answered from across the table, "The Wutaiians have been displaying great skill in espionage and surprise attack. Awfully reminiscent of Turk tactics."

"Are you suggesting that we have anything to do with Wutai's increased resistance?" Veld growled.

"You misunderstand Direct Lazard, Direct Veld," Sephiroth interrupted coolly, "We are asking for your expertise in this matter." Veld sighed and leaned back.

"Our tactics work for us in an urban jungle, General Sephiroth. That is quite different from fighting in the Wutai jungle. All of our agents rely on blending in with people when needed, not trees." Veld finally responded after some thinking. "However, in some ways their so-called ninja divisions are highly reminiscent of the way the Turks work. They have a home field advantage on the Wutai continent and know the land well and thus can vanish and strike at our troops easily. We have no ability right now to disappear and strike in Wutai."

"Can you think of any ways to counter these tactics?"

"We are severely handicapped against fighting in forest settings. I can only say restructure the training with greater emphasis on survival and small group maneuvers, rather than frontal assaults. Make sure all cgear is camoflaged and weather proofed. In addition, we must quickly find and disable their command centers. The Wutaiian military is notoriously disciplined and organized, but still require competent command to remain a cohesive fighting unit."

Sephiroth nodded.

"Anything else, Director?"

"It is imperative that we keep this fight contained in Wutai. If any of them have managed to get into Shinra cities, the fight can easily come to Shinra soil. Then, no man, woman, or child in Midgar is safe."

"Heidegger," Shinra commanded, "Increase security in and out of Midgar. We do not want these insurgents to strike here."

"Of course, President Shinra. We have already installed security scanners on all trains in and out of the slums."

"Security robots are also in place on most Shinra floors," Scarlet added, "Professor Hojo, however, has objected to any surveillance."

"They are unnecessary in my labs," Hojo rebuked, "and in light of the recent security leaks we are experiencing, I do not think I will ever feel safe with my experiments being watched. I have already made large concessions when I allowed the science department to move to sharing a common server with the rest of headquarters."

"Yes," Shinra interjected before Hojo began one of those long megalomaniacal rants he was known for, "I am sure we all appreciate your cooperation in this matter. Speaking of the leak, what is the progress in improving security on the plate?"

"Slowly," Veld answered. "Perhaps Director Tuesti can provide more details?"

"Oh, yes." Tuesti sat up. Reno had been wondering what this man was doing at a war council. Guess the Head of Urban Development does mean something. "We have added security measures to all Reactor access points. Each one now requires two people with the proper codes to enter the inside chamber. We have reprogrammed the system so that each floor above floor sixty now requires a different keycard. After reviewing the plate building codes, I also detected vulnerability in the plate design and I would recommend reinforcing the pillar-"

"That will not be necessary," Shinra cut in, "I only need to know that the topmost floors of the headquarters is secure."

"Father," Rufus cut in, "Should we also not consider your relocation? The Headquarters is a Shinra landmark and paints an uncomfortable target. In addition, we still have tenuous control over the organized crime on the lower level. Perhaps Junon-"

"That is unnecessary, Rufus." The older Shinra replied, "The Headquarters is the most secure place in the world right now." He took a moment to cut and light a cigar.

"Lazard, Scarlet, approve development and shipment of more terrain worthy supplies to Wutai immediately. Heidegger, brief your men. Does anyone else have anything to add?"

The board looked at each other silently.

"Good. I have an appointment for dinner." Shinra stood up and exited with his son. Veld nodded to Reno and Tseng, a clear dismissal, and Reno slouched and exited the door as well.

"I hate getting stuck in those meetings, yo," He whined as soon as the door closed behind them, "It always stinks in there. Must be all the cigars and assholes."

"Be more professional." Tseng chided. Reno clicked his teeth.

"I'm off duty, yeah?"

"Don't get into trouble." Reno scoffed and pressed a button. The elevator doors opened with a "ding" and he stepped in and turned around.

"You know me, yo!" He saw Tseng turn around as Veld exit the conference room. The doors shut on their conversation.

In the lobby as he headed out of the building, Reno dug is PHS out of his pocket and dialed a number that was quickly becoming familiar.

"Oi, Cloud!" Reno yelled into the cell. "Wanna go grab that drink now?...Whadaya _mean_ 'you've got plans'?"

* * *

"Sorry I'm late, mom. We got called to an emergency meeting again," Reeve called as he hung his blue suit jacket on the hanger and closed the closet door behind him, pausing only long enough to kick off his loafers before turning into his mother's kitchen. To his surprise, no one was in. It smelled delicious, and a peek into the pot warming on the stop top told him his mother made beef casserole. However, the house was silent.

"My, it's such a beautiful color- I don't know where best to plant it!" He heard his mother say from the gardens, and he walked up to the open door next to the refrigerator that separated his mother's modest kitchen from the back yard. Watching from the screen door, he watch as his mother marveled at something shown to her by a blond kid whose back was turn to him. "Where did you say you got this again?"

"My friend in the slums. She can somehow make flowers grow down there."

"Oh! Your girlfriend!" The kid sputtered.

"No! She's just a friend." Ruvie's laughter reached Reeve's ears.

"Haha, I'm just teasing, dear." She comforted, "Although you do seem to visit her quite often."

"Mother!" Reeve finally interrupted.

Both Ruvie and the blond kid spun around, and Reeves saw that the kid was hugging a flower pot to himself. In it, shockingly bright orange geraniums seem to be trying to burst out of the confining little pot.

"Reeve!" Ruvie laughed, "Come down here and say hi to Cloud!"

Reeve opened the screen door and walked outside, still in his business attire. He offered his hand to Cloud, who set the flower pot down and wiped his hands on his raggedy jeans. He took Reeve's hand and shook it once with an amazingly strong grip before dropping it and nodding once to him.

"Now Reeve here is my son," Ruvie introduced. Cloud gave him a small smile.

"Pleasure ta finally meet you. Ruvie talks a great deal about you."

Reeve chuckled.

"And my mother has said nothing about you."

"Oh Reeve," Ruvie answered for Cloud, "He's the nice boy I told you about- the one who helped me with groceries and fixed the cart last month. You keep missing each other every time you come visit this old woman." Reeve's eyebrows raised above his hair line.

"That was a good piece of work, Cloud." He complimented to the slightly blushing youth, "I hadn't thought to motorize the cart." Cloud shrugged and didn't say much.

"Where did you go to school, again?"

"I'm studying mako science right now at the Shinra Academy, sir," Cloud answered.

"And the cart?"

"A side hobby, sir."

"Well don't stand there!" Ruvie interrupted impatiently, "Reeve, help me decide where we should plant this. Then we can all go have dinner." Reeve sighed and resigned himself to getting dirt on his dress shirt and pants. Cloud simply laughed at his put-upon expression, feeling some sympathy as Ruvie conned both men into more work.

* * *

I apologize for the delay. Between school projects, a computer crash, and moving across the country, there wasn't much time to write.

Thanks for the encouraging reviews for the previous chapters.


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